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Terrorist Incident at Garrison, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland on 21 May 1971

In 1969 the ‘Troubles’ in N. Ireland were beginning to escalate. In an attempt to diffuse the rising tensions in the country the British Government in the guise of the ‘Hunt Report’ decided to introduce English style policing to N. Ireland. Part of this change was the disarmament of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

On 26 February 1971 two RUC officers were murdered by the IRA in Belfast. This prompted the Chief Constable to contact the Prime Minister Brian Faulkner and tell him he was rearming the police in Belfast. This however was a localised response and the rest of the province remained unarmed.

County Fermanagh in the south west of N. Ireland borders counties in the Republic of Ireland. In 1971 terrorist activity, predominately from the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), threatened the area. Constable Patrick Doherty was stationed in Belleek a small village directly on the border from Donegal. Each year in the nearby village of Garrison, several hundred yards from the border with the Republic of Ireland, the Roman Catholic church held a fund raising two week carnival, the dances and show bands attracting hundreds of people.

On the evening of the 20th May 1971 a dance was being held and the carnival committee had requested the local police to give attention to the event to ensure public order as over 600 people were expected to attend. Patrons were from counties on both sides of the border but would have been almost exclusively from a Roman Catholic or Nationalist community. Constable Doherty and a colleague were detailed to police the event both unarmed.

Constable Doherty was assisting a member of the public when he was confronted by two armed and masked men dressed in military fatigues carrying Thompson sub-machine guns. Constable Doherty was told to put his hands up and was beaten with the butts of their weapons. More gunmen arrived and searched Constable Doherty to check if he was armed, when none where found they stood him against a wall and told him they were going to shoot him.

Those attending the dance witnessed what was taking place and females were shouting at the gunmen to let the young constable go. The gunmen then told Constable Doherty to start walking down a laneway and as he started walking he heard a gun being cocked and saw people taking cover. Constable Doherty fearing for his life and safety of others then started running in a zig zag fashion and ran into a hedgerow to take cover, no shots were fired. At this point local people intervened and came to the assistance of the young constable. As more gunmen appeared, Constable Doherty was given a coat to disguise his uniform and hidden in a nearby car until the gunmen left the area, driving away in the police landrover.

Constable Doherty was lucky to escape with just bruising this body. A police and military follow up search uncovered 17 rounds, .455 ammo and a magazine for a Thomson sub machine gun hidden at the rear of the marquee. It later transpired that up to 10 Provisional IRA were involved in the incident.